As a photographer with a soft spot for misty forests and quiet places, I'm always chasing that balance between stillness and wildness....somewhere the landscape feels alive.  While traveling through the coffee region of Colombia, I ended up just outside Manizales and spent a night at a small hot springs resort called Termales El Otoño.  I wasn't planning to do much other than rest, but the place surprised me. It turned out to be a quiet goldmine for nature photography, especially in the early morning when the fog rolls in and everything turns soft and cinematic.
  
Termales El Otoño is just a short drive from Manizales, tucked into the green folds of the Central Andes. 

The resort itself is modest, but it blends into the landscape in a way I appreciated.  There are several thermal pools scattered throughout the expansive property, a central main building which houses some hotel style rooms, an expansive lobby, and a very nice restaurant.   A fantastic breakfast buffet is included.  There is also a scattering of pine and eucalyptus trees around the property.

I didn't need to stray far to find photo opportunities. The resort is surrounded by dense greenery, and if you follow the trail near the back of the property, especially behind the "presidential Cabana", it opens up to a more forested area where I spotted a few hummingbirds, a squirrel cuckoo, and what I think was a spectacled thrush.  I didn't go with a long lens and kind of wish I had--it's definitely a good spot for bird photography if you're patient.  

One of the unexpected things I liked was how quiet it was around the place.  It's possible it was because it was not the height of the tourist season, from what I understand.   I used the time to just listen...there's something deeply calming about the sound of running water and wind moving through the trees when there's no background noise competing with it.

I also wish I had brought along my field audio recorder.  The quiet morning afforded me an opportunity to capture this short video of the surrounding landscape, with a lot of birds singing in the background: